attachment

• outline caregiver-infant interactions

  reciprocity - mothers respond to infant alertness

  • e.g. taking turns in a conversation
  • Brazelton: mother anticipates infant's signals

  interactional synchrony - coordinated behaviour

  • Meltzoff & Moore: 3-day-old babies imitate mothers
  • Piaget: behaviour is pseudo-imitation (operant conditioning)
• evaluate caregiver-infant interactions

  + controlled observations

  X testing infant behaviour is difficult, always in constant motion

  X observes simple gesture/expression and assumes intentions
• outline role of father

  traditionally mother-infant

  role of father:

  • Grossman - less important but has role of play and stimulation
  • Field - fathers as primary carers adopt behaviour typical of mothers
• evaluate role of father

  X father's don't tend to be primary carer, gender roles or biological differences

  X children without fathers aren't different, over-exaggerated importance

  X socially sensitive research with working mothers
• outline schaffer & emerson's key study


  aim - investigate age of attachment formation

  • who attachments are formed with

  method - mothers of 60 glasgow babies reported monthly on separation anxiety

  findings - 50% showed anxiety by 32 weeks

  • 40 weeks: 80% had specific attachment, 30% had multiple attachments
• evaluate schaffer & emerson's key study


  X unrepresentative sample, all from glasgow so lacks generalisability

  + good external validity, observed in participant's natural environments

  + longitudinal design, eliminated individual differences
• outline schaffer's stages of attachment 


  1. asocial stage - little observable social behaviour
  2. indiscriminate - accept cuddles from adults
  3. specific - stranger and separation anxiety to one particular adult
  4. multiple - behaviour directed towards more than one adult
• evaluate schaffer's stages of attachment


  X unreliable data, based on mother's reports, systematic bias

  X biased sample, working-class 1960's women, lacks temporal validity

  X cultural differences, multiple attachments may appear first in different contexts
• outline and evaluate lorenz's research


  procedure - goose eggs incubated, first saw mother or Lorenz

  findings - goslings imprinted on first moving object they see

  • sexual imprinting: adult birds mate with species they imprint on

  X animals have different attachment systems, lacks generalisability

  + Guiton - birds imprinted on rubber gloves
• outline and evaluate harlow's research 


  procedure - monkeys given cloth or wire "mother" with feeding bottle

  findings - clung to cloth bottle rather than wire one

  • maternally deprived monkeys: abnormal socially and sexually
  • critical period: formed before 6 months

  + theoretical value, attachment depends on comfort over feeding

  X generalising to humans isn't justified
• outline learning theory as an explanation of attachment

  behaviourism, all learned rather than inherited

  
  

  classical conditioning:

  • new conditioned response learned through association
  • neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus

  operant conditioning:

  • infant is positively reinforced and caregiver is negatively

  social learning:

  • children model parent's attachment behaviours
• evaluate learning theory as an explanation of attachment

  + explains attention and responsiveness to rewards in attachment

  X animal studies, lack external validity as simplify human attachment

  X attachment isn't based on food, Harlow showed comfort was basis
• outline bowlby's monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment


  critical period:

  • attachments form around 3-6 months

  social releasers:

  • innate "cute" behaviours that elicit caregiving

  monotropy:

  • one particular attachment is different in quality and importance
  • primary caregivers have special emotional role

  internal working model:

  • mental representation for template of future relationships
• evaluate bowlby's monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment 


  + Brazelton - social releasers ignored, babies get upset

  + Bailey - quality of attachment is passed through generations

  X some babies form multiple attachments, monotropy lacks validity
• outline ainsworth's strange situation


  procedure - 7 stage controlled observation, every 15 seconds

  • assessed proximity seeking, exploration/secure base, stranger and separation anxiety, response to reunion

  findings - 65% were secure, 22% insecure-avoidant, 12% insecure-resistant

  
  

  types of attachment:

  • secure - enthusiastic greeting and content
  • avoidant - avoids reunion, reduced responses
  • resistant - resists reunion, more distressed
• evaluate ainsworth's strange situation


  + high reliability, different observers agreed 90% of the time

  + real-world application, predicts social personal behaviour

  X other types of attachment, disorganised or type D
• outline cultural variations in attachment - key study

  van ijzendoorn:

  • meta-analysis of 32 studies of strange situation, 8 different countries
  • secure attachment was norm, greater variation within countries than between

  cultural similarities - Tronick, Efe infants

  cultural differences - Grossman, more insecure in German sample

  cultural differences - Takahashi, no avoidant in Japan sample
• evaluate cultural variations in attachment - key study

  + large samples, reduce impact of anomalous result, improve internal validity

  X Rothbaum - culture or western bias

  X unrepresentative sample, compared countries not cultures
• outline bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation 


  maternal care:

  • children need intimate and continuous relationship with mother

  critical period:

  • prolonged separations before age of 2 causes damage
  • critical period of up to age 5

  consequences:

  • Goldfarb - low IQ
  • Bowlby - affectionless psychopathy

  44 thieves study:

  • 86% affectionless psychopaths had separation compared to 17% of others or 2% in control group
• evaluate bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation


  X poor evidence, orphans experienced other traumas, observer bias

  X Lewis - 500 people, no link between early separation and criminality

  X sensitive period, Koluchova, can recover from damage
• outline romanian orphan studies and effects of institutionalisation

  Rutter - key study

  • 165 romanian orphans adopted in britain
  • physical, cognitive and social development tested at regular intervals
  • age 11: before 6 months showed good recovery, others had disinhibited attachment

  canadian study - physically smaller at adoption, recovered by 10 years

  romanian study - if institutionalised, displayed disinhibited attachment

  
  

  effects:

  • physical underdevelopment
  • intellectual under functioning
  • disinhibited attachment
• evaluate romanian orphan studies and effects of institutionalisation

  X individual differences, some recovered without attachment in sensitive period

  + real-life application, care and adoption improved

  + longitudinal study, changes takes a while to appear, recovery is possible
• outline influences of early attachments on later relationships

  internal working model:

  • Bowlby - primary attachment is template for later relationships

  Hazan & Shaver - key study

  • "love quiz" in newspaper, 620 responses
  • positive relationship between attachment type and love experiences

  behaviours influenced:

  • childhood friendships
  • poor parenting
  • romantic relationships
  • mental health
• evaluate influences of early attachments on later relationships

  X correlational, temperament may be intervening variable

  X retrospective, type is based on memory of childhood

  X deterministic, past experiences don't determine future relationships
• define attachment

  strong emotional bond between two people
• define reciprocity

  two-way turn taking process

  • respond to eachother
• define interactional synchrony

  mirror movements

  • coordinated behaviour
• outline schaffer and emerson's study

  • 60 glasgow babies
  • longitudinal observations and interviews
  • 80% had specific attachment
• outline the formula of classical conditioning

  before:

  1. neutral stimulus -> no response
  2. unconditioned stimulus -> unconditioned response

  during:

  1. neutral stimulus + unconditioned stimulus -> unconditioned response

  after:

  1. conditioned stimulus -> conditioned response
• outline what bf skinner found about operant conditioning

  positive reinforcement - rewards action

  • baby cries, receive comfort or food

  negative reinforcement - to stop negative action

  • mum feeds to stop baby crying

  primary reinforcer - reduces the drive

  • food is the drive to reduce hunger

  secondary reinforcer - what provides the thing to reduce the drive

  • food provided by mother
• define ASCMIC for bowlby's monotropic theory

  A - adaptive

  • changes across years, environment and species

  S - social releasers

  • more attentive towards child

  C - critical period

  • within 2 years

  M - monotropy

  • one primary figure

  I - internal working model

  • mental representation

  C - continuity hypothesis
• outline characteristics of the different types of attachment

  secure:

  • high proximity seeking
  • moderate stranger/separation anxiety
  • enthusiastic reunion response

  avoidant:

  • high proximity seeking
  • low/no stranger/separation anxiety
  • avoid reunions

  resistant:

  • low proximity seeking
  • high stranger/separation anxiety
  • seek and reject reunion

  type D - disorganised

  • inconsistencies in behaviour and responses
• outline research into cultural similarities

  Tronick et al

  • infants breastfed by other women but slept with mum
  • at 6 months, still showed 1 primary attachment
• outline research into cultural differences

  Grossman

  • high levels of insecure attachment in German infants

  Takahashi

  • high levels of resistant attachment in Japanese infants
• outline bowlby's 44 thieves study

  • 44 criminal teenagers
  • interviewed families and teenagers
  • 14/44 were affectionless psychopaths
  • 12/14 had prolonged separations
• outline effects of institutionalisation

  • physical underdevelopment
  • intellectual under functioning
  • disinhibited attachment
  • poor parenting
  • quasi-autism
• outline effects of maternal deprivation

  • intellectual underdevelopment
  • affectionless psychopathy
• what type of internal working model does each attachment type have?

  secure - loving relationship with caregiver

  avoidant - uninvolved, not emotionally close

  resistant - controlling and argumentative
• what affect does each attachment type have on future relationships?

  secure - best quality friendships, more popular

  insecure - struggle, friendship difficulties
• what affect does each attachment type have on romantic relationships?

  secure - best adult relationships

  avoidant - struggled with intimacy

  resistant - problems maintaining friendships